The Montenvers rack train

The metal walkway you see on your right takes you straight to Montenvers station. That’s where the bright red, traditional rack railway departs — heading all the way up to the Mer de Glace at 1,913 meters! Over a 5-kilometer route, it climbs through breathtaking scenery, with slopes as steep as 22%. The Chamonix rack railway is truly a one-of-a-kind experience — and one you won’t forget.” The Montenvers railway opened to the public in 1909, and was officially inaugurated the following year by Armand Fallières, then President of the French Republic. Over the years, it’s been modernized — but it still keeps its charming retro look, with old-style wooden benches in the carriages. Steam power has been replaced by electricity, but one thing hasn’t changed: the rack system. There are only five trains of this kind in France. Each one uses a central toothed wheel that locks into a third rail filled with metal notches. This system — called the ‘rack’, or crémaillère in French — lets the train safely climb very steep slopes by literally gripping the mountain as it goes. The idea of linking Chamonix to the Mer de Glace dates back to the late 1800s, a time when the town was booming with tourists. People already came to admire the glacier, but back then, the journey was a tough one — several hours on foot or by mule. Some famous names made the trip the hard way: Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, and even Goethe all visited before the train was ever built. As early as 1885, more than 10,000 people were already hiking the Montenvers path. But everything changed in 1901, when the PLM railway line — which stands for Paris-Lyon-Marseille and first opened in the 1860s — was extended all the way to Chamonix. Suddenly, Parisians could reach the foot of Mont Blanc in just 12 hours. It was a revolution in tourism — one that pushed Chamonix into the spotlight. Soon after, a group of Swiss and French investors, backed by local hoteliers and with technical input from engineers Strub and Locher, launched an ambitious project: a rack railway that would transform access to the Mer de Glace. The journey takes about 20 minutes and offers exceptional views of the Chamonix valley and the Mont Blanc massif. With nearly 800,000 visitors each year, the Montenvers train is one of the most popular attractions in the Rhône-Alpes region! So if you too want to take a seat aboard this legendary line, head to Montenvers station! There’s a fee for tickets, but it’s included in the Cham Unlimited pass (Mont Blanc MultiPass in summer) or in certain combined tickets with the Aiguille du Midi. If you’re going to the Mer de Glace, listen to the next audio guide in the train or on site – otherwise, start it up right now!